


Vaulting Over Expectations

by Zerubel



Series: Vaulting Over Expectations [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, i'm just gonna post these here until i have enough to put in the proper order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 09:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13656483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zerubel/pseuds/Zerubel
Summary: Harry's conclusions are not, perhaps, what other children would conclude, but they are good conclusions nonetheless. WIP





	Vaulting Over Expectations

Harry stared at the piles of stuff in his vault. Quickly he rubbed his eyes, and opened them again.

Yup, still stacked high with earthly possessions.

Hesitantly, he poked his head out into the tunnel where the goblin Griphook waited.

“Excuse me,” he cleared his throat, “Is this the right vault? I thought I was being taken to… well, Hagrid just said we were stopping for money, and there isn’t money in this one...”

“No idea what you’re referring to, Mr. Potter,” Griphook replied, eyes straight ahead and glaring at Hagrid, who looked to be trying very hard not to barf all over the goblin’s cart. “There is indeed enough for all your needs in that vault entrusted to you by your parents.”

 _Ooookay,_ Harry thought to himself, ducking back inside and leaning against the wall. _He couldn’t spell out ‘I’m a goblin with an agenda’ more clearly if he used all the neon in London. Which means… the goblins want me to use something in here, even if they don’t want Hagrid to know._

That made sense. It wasn’t Hagrid’s vault, after all. He’d already swiped his key from the giant’s pocket and had no intention of returning it. The man was an absolute sweetheart but Harry didn’t think such an absentminded person should hold onto something so tiny and important. Which led him to the vault’s contents…

Stacks of books warred for space among various shiny knickknacks on shelves, old-looking furniture placed haphazardly throughout. It looked like someone had just started stacking couches in the corner for the fun of it. In direct odds with the disorganized look of the vault was the chest in front of him with “IMPORTANT SHITE” drawn on it in big letters.

Harry was starting to think his family wasn’t big on taking themselves seriously.

Curiosity obviously won out as he knelt in front of the chest, taking care to gently undo the latch and ease the lid back. Inside was an odd set of – sticks? What the hell – with a little note attached. A few books with titles like ‘Caring For Your Obviously Dangerous Pet’ and ‘Practical Runes for Dummies’ were underneath, as well as a rather plain looking green canvas backpack. This also had a little note attached. Point of fact, there were little notes attached everywhere, like the wizarding version of sticky notes, except they were fastened with thread.

One fell in front of his nose, dangling from the freed latch. Gingerly he unfolded it.

“Congratulations Young Potter!” the note exclaimed. “You are looking at Tabitha Potter’s Chest of Important Shite!”

“Oh goody,” Harry muttered, eyeing the disorganized piles of debris closer to the bottom.

“If you found this, I’m probably dead and the chest is in the Heir Vault,” the note continued. “That’s okay! Everything in here is so you (or a younger cousin or little sibling or whatever, if you don’t feel like it) can carry on my legacy of exploring and collecting cool pets! If you need help just ask one of your aunts or uncles or older cousins.”

A cough interrupted his reading. Griphook had leaned in the doorway, making a wrap-it-up motion with one hand while holding out a small bag with the other.

“If you don’t mind, Mr Potter, your companion has a schedule to keep and I do not have all day. You may use this bag to hold whatever you’ve decided to take.”

Harry quickly jumped up and took the bag, noting the slight jingle when he stretched the opening to see what was inside. Griphook nodded at the bag and then the chest.

“If you are quite done?”

Harry touched the lip of the bag to the chest and was only slightly surprised to watch it disappear. Sure, why not. Weird relatives. He tucked the note into his pocket and turned to leave.“Yeah, I’m done.”

  


~*~

  


Later, Harry sat outside the wand shop, twirling and inspecting his new wand. He wished he’d bought a holster for it as well as a care kit (Aunt Petunia had drilled it into him that wooden furniture deserved tender loving care and _product_ , so surely wands deserved more) but Ollivander’s freaky comments about brother wands had distracted him pretty thoroughly.

Namely, it all came back to family.

 _My wand has a brother,_ he mused, _and the note from Tabitha mentioned aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings as well. I only have Petunia and Dudley and Vernon._

Probably not the message Ollivander wanted him to take away from his cryptic and important speech, but oh well.

 _If I’m supposed to do great and wonderful things, I should start by making a_ real _family,_ he concluded, nodding decisively as he did so and carefully tucking his wand inside his oversized sleeve.


End file.
